


Weak Link

by PaperHatCollection



Category: Villainous (Cartoon)
Genre: Gore, Well - Freeform, minor gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-24
Updated: 2017-06-02
Packaged: 2018-11-04 09:07:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10987773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaperHatCollection/pseuds/PaperHatCollection
Summary: A small handful of heroes attempt to take out the weak link in Blackhat's corporation... but end up at Dr. Flugs mercy instead.





	1. Chapter 1

“Alright, that’s the signal.” Leonard had one hand on his ear piece, the other holding a small map. It frankly looked like it had been scribbled by a five year old, but it was all they had. “Let’s move.”

Evans darted across the street, got his foot on one of the metal rungs that formed a ‘B’ in the gate, and flipped himself over the gate onto his feet.  _ Hah _ . 

Leonard and Charles followed moments later, scrambling up the gate less gracefully behind him. So far, so good. They’d all seen what kind of security Blackhat had around his manor, though it looked like it really did need to be remotely activated. Thank god. 

“All clear.” Evans called back, followed by the sounds of his two teammates hitting the pavement. 

Three months ago, they’d intercepted a series of videos centering around the lesser known, but powerful, villain Blackhat. They had proved the theory he had been selling devices of evil to the highest bidder. 

Cloning machines, size changing ray guns, antigravity devices, even an instant statue maker. Anything you could imagine. Many of the things Blackhat dealt in were  _ terrifying _ in the wrong hands. 

But the videos revealed a few other surprising facts about dear Blackhat. For one, they had featured the inventor his fine gadgets, and his willingness to slap said inventor around. In the months leading up to this mission, there had been several debates around the HQ about whether or not Dr. Flug was there against his will. 

Regardless, they wouldn’t be leaving here without Dr. Flug. Thankful for the save, or against his will. 

The trio burst through the front door of his manor, weapons at the ready. When no defense system or blue bear appeared to rip their faces off, they continued on their way. 

Evans fell in step behind Leonard, who actually had the map. Even though all three of them had memorized it in the months leading up to this mission. It was still bullshit Leonard was the leader, he was just a agent. Same with Charles. 

Adam Evans, or as he was better known, the Viper, was the only  _ hero _ on this team. Oh well, that was the only good thing about working with secret government agencies. When it came time to reveal that Blackhat had been taken down, Viper would be the one getting all the credit. 

He just wished the guy- demon-  _ thing _ was better known. Powerful, yes, but frankly you wouldn’t find out he even existed unless you had the money or power to find out. Why this guy didn’t try to take over the world himself was beyond Evans.

“Alright, this should be the room.” Leonard muttered, stashing the map away and approaching a plane door. Evans didn’t think to hard as to why there was a plane door in this manor. 

It swung open easily, into a cluttered laboratory. And there, just a few feet from them, was Dr. Flug. 

His back was to them, half bent over a table where he was tinkering with some strange hand sized machine. He didn’t seem to even notice the three men entering his lab. 

“Dr. Flug?” Leonard asked, startling the scientist into flinging the machine away from himself with a loud yelp. He jerked around to face them, stumbling away and picking up a metal dick to hold in front of himself for protection. 

“Who are- who are you?” he asked, stumbling over his words. 

Leonard stepped closer, lifting his hand. He’d been one of the ‘held here against his will’ arguers. 

“We’re here to save you.” he said in a hero voice, offering a reassuring smile to Flug. 

“Rescue me- oh, you mean from Blackhat? Are you heroes?” Flug asked, lowering the disk to take a closer look at them. Leonard took a step back, followed by Flug backing up more. 

“Yes, we are. To both questions.” Leonard tried to get closer, not seeming to realize he was driving Flug backwards. “We have an agent distracting Blackhat now, you’re free to leave with us.”

“O-oh, Alright.” Flug knelt down, grabbing the device he tossed away off the floor. “I just need one thing from you first.”

“Of course,” Leonard nodded. “What is it?”

“Field testing.”

He tossed the device at them, which suddenly burst open. They had barely grabbed their weapons when thick metal cords lashed out and wrapped around them, sending powerful jolts of electricity through their bodies-

 

Leonard woke with a pounding headache.

“Do you, um, do you think you could  _ describe _ the pain?” someone asked. 

It took a few moments to recognize the ringing sound he was hearing wasn’t from his ears, but from someone's screaming. It took another minute to place the ringing with where he was and what had happened. 

He jerked awake, his gaze snapping up find the Doctor, Flug, bend over an examination table where Charles was strapped down, spitting a couple dozen colorful curses at the man above him. 

Flug’s sleeves were rolled up, and his arms were covered in blood. 

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU BASTARD?!” Leonard snapped, attempting to jerk forward only to find he was tied to the chair he was in. 

Flug jumped half a foot, jerking around to to stare at Leonard in shock, a hand clenching his own shirt.

“O-Oh…”

Flug slumped over, seeming to relax. 

“The drugs should have- they should have kept you down, out for a couple hours more…” Flug muttered, looking away. Charles gave a sudden jerk on the table, attempting to break his hand free. 

Leonard snapped his gaze back to his friend. For a second, he couldn’t figure out what the man had been doing to him. Then, he realized by sitting up a little more and noticing the tools sticking out of him, that Charles had been cut open. 

His own stomach lurched at the sight. 

Flug yanked out a handful of tools, than grabbed a vial of some kind, spinning the liquid inside before dumping the whole thing onto Charles chest. 

Leonard watched in shock as Charles chest knit itself back together, soon returning to normal with only a faint scar. 

And then Flug picked up a dagger, stabbing Charles and cutting him back open with a fresh coat of blood for his gloves. 

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!” Leonard yelled at him, but aside from a flinch, he was ignored. 

“It’s still just the surface.” Flug muttered to himself. “No real healing under the the skin… oh this isn't good, I’ll have to completely remake the serum…” 

He sighed, making a few notes on on a clipboard before pausing, looking back up at Charles. A moment later he glanced inside Charles chest, and it occurred to Leonard that the other man wasn’t screaming anymore. 

“Oh… well, I needed to recreate it anyhow.” Flug seemed to look at a clock. “Oh, it’s almost time for the call.” 

He unfolded his sleeves to hide the blood, passing Leonard as he left the room. 

“I’ll have to save your experiments for another time.” he called back.

 

Evans woke with a jerk, and the discovery that he couldn’t move his limbs. 

He blinked several times, until the world stopped blurring around him. After a moment, he realized he was in a laboratory of some kind, strapped to a metal table. Fuck. Well, it wouldn’t be the first time someone had tried to dissect him for his abilities. All he needed was one good look. And contrary to popular belief, goggles didn’t block his abilities. 

“O-Oh, I didn’t think you’d be awake yet. I guess I should have seen this coming, the other guy woke up quickly too.”

Evans attempted to turn his head enough to see who was speaking, but a restraint around his neck prevent the movement. Not that he couldn’t make a  _ very _ good guess. 

He heard something cluttering around, followed by a click as the table he was on suddenly tilted up to a 90 degree angle. Had he not been strapped in, he would have fallen off. 

Dr. Flug was watching him, picking up a clipboard and stepping in front of the captured man. “Sorry,” he said with a shrug. “I have to get field testing in  _ somehow _ , don’t I? And you did invade  _ my _ lab.”

Evans glared at Flug, but the other man just tilted his head to the side slowly. Funny, he should have already free’d Evans and fallen to the floor in a deep sleep. 

As seconds ticked on he became increasingly aware of a beeping noise coming from just below his head. Trying to look down, however, didn’t reveal anything new. 

“Inhibitor collar.” Flug explained with what sounded like pride. “It’s an older invention, but it still works just as well as any fancy area inhibitor. I invented that too.” Flug got closer, peering down at his neck with, and Evans was half guessing here, satisfaction. “Maybe I should update the collars and resell them as a direct source. So many villains with their own powers tend to avoid the devices that cancel  _ all _ abilities around them.”

“The  _ fuck _ .” Evans swore. “Is wrong with you?!”

Flug actually flinched away, hands fiddling with the papers on his clipboard. It was such an earnest motion. They’d been stupid to assume it meant they could trust the man. 

“N, Now, there's no need for that sort of language.” Flug said. “I only need to ask you a few questions before we begin.”

“Where the hell are my teammates?!” Evans snapped, causing the good doctor to flinch a second time. 

“Their, they’re  _ fine _ . Well, I mean, u-uh, well, only  _ one _ of them’s dead, but other than that they’re fine!” Flug answered, his voice rising into something like mock joy near the end. 

“WHAT?!

“And, anyways,  _ I’m _ answering, I mean, asking the questions. You’re, Your name is Adam Evans, correct?” Flug stuttered out, holding the clipboard in front of his face as if to protect himself. From the man currently restrained to the table. 

Evans stared at Flug as if he had suddenly grown a second head. 

“No.”

“You’re also know as the Viper,” Flug continued on, gaining ground again as he spoke. “You joined the government agency um, Nac- Nakvio, vo… N-C-V-O three years ago, and having been working with Christopher Charles and Stephens Leonard since?”

“No.” Evans echoed, instant this time. 

“Your mother,” Flug paused, lifting up one of his papers to glance underneath. Evans spotted a grid of some kind, certain boxes marked. “Your mother passed on the hero mantel to you, but you largely remade the character from the ground up. She had been known as the ‘Python’, correct?”

“No.”

“Okay, good.” Flug looked up, tapping his clipboard. “Your tells are pretty obvious, by the way. I’d work on that in the future.”

Evans opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He’d walked right into that, of  _ course _ Flug wouldn’t  _ ask _ him if their information was correct or not. Of  _ course _ he had tricked him.

“Now, we just need you too-”

“FLUG!” 

Both Evans and Flug jerked at the voice, eyes on the now open doorway. 

“Have you  _ finished _ yet?” Blackhat growled, entered the room with cane in hand. He wasn’t even using it. Clearly, it was just for show. Villians and their damned aesthetics.

“Ye, yes sir!” Flud yelped, nearly dropping the clipboard before holding it the right way up. “Everythings ready for you!”

“Good.” Blackhat purred, suddenly calm. He passed Evans, pausing for only a moment to smile down at his captive. He seemed amused by Evans glare. To be fair,  most villains would be.

Blackhat clapped twice, and the light in the lab was reduced a spotlight on the man himself. Immediately after the screen on the wall turned on, briefly showing a black top hat before switching to a video call with- oh  _ fuck _ . 

“Blackhat.” Dr. Hitch Killoran began. Fuckity fuck  _ fuck _ . He did  _ not _ want to bring his worst enemy into this. And the smug bastard was sitting in what looked to be a fireplace room, flame roaring in the background with probably way more heat than anyone really needed. Not to mention, Hitches desk was facing opposite the fire, towards the camera. 

“Greeting, Doctor Killoran!” Blackhat responded with a small bow. “A pleasure to see you again so soon. I take it… you were  _ interested  _ in my offer?” he asked, clapping his hands once more. 

A spotlight activated with a distant  _ clunk _ , nearly blinding Evans.  _ Shit _ . Oh, and of course Flug didn’t seem bothered by the light, with those damn goggles. 

A brief look of recognition flashed in Killoran’s eyes, before reverting to a mask of indifference. Evans couldn’t help but wonder if the other two would catch up on that little facial shift. 

“You’ve removed his mask.” Oh  _ shit _ , he hadn’t even noticed- “How do I know that’s really Viper?”

Blackhat gave a too wide smile, leaning over to wrap an arm around Evans shoulder. “Oh, I think you know.”

“In fact!” Blackhat suddenly stood straight. “I think you know  _ very _ well. But, of course, if you aren't willing to pay our price we can simply bid him off to one of his  _ other _ enemies.”

“There's no need for that.” Killoran held up a hand, speaking a little too quickly. “I already stated my interest in this deal.”

“Good.” Blackhat patted Evans shoulder. “You send the money, and we’ll send your little pest over for proper revenge. Deal?” 

“Deal.” Killoran echoed gravely. The feed cut out, showing the same tophat logo before the tv turned itself out. With another clap from Flug, the lights in the lab turned back on. 

“Flug, prepare the hero for shipment.” Blackhat ordered, not even looking at the two of him. “And knock this one out this time.”

“Yes sir.” Flug said, stepping closer to Evans while picking up a syringe from a nearby table and why was their blood on his hands?

It was the last thing Evans noticed when the syringe was pressed into his neck, some sort of drug suddenly beginning to knock him out. And his last thought was what he’d said about one of them being-


	2. Everyone wants to murder Flug

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the feedback! I've hammered out a three chapter story for this fic, hope you guys enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone being two guys

As a mad scientist himself, Ivan Dark- Yes his last name was literally dark, yes that was a real last name and yes he was born into it, Ivan hated the Black Hat Corporation.

He was hardly the only one. Many a mad scientist had faced that moment when their boss decided to order from a BHC catalog because it was faster or offered a higher quality than having it made on-site.

Not to say they got rid of their pet geniuses, on the contrary, having someone at your beck and call who could make whatever latest Death Ray™ you needed for your Evil Plan™ was something of a status symbol among the greater villain community. Aside from that, BHC wasn’t  _ cheap _ . Much more cost-effective to have it made at your own home. 

In a way, BHC was a game changer. And Ivan didn’t like it. With his looks- disgustingly cute, it had taken a long time to get where he currently was. But with his past, most people now saw his cute face as ‘creepy’, thank you very much. 

Burning half a city while laughing maniacally and sending a small army of drones to wreck havoc tended to do that. It hadn’t taken long before other villains had approached him, eager for his services. 

So to know that his inventions could be shrugged off for some shiner eyecatcher being sold to the highest bidder? 

Yeah. He didn’t like them. But he wasn’t nearly stupid enough to even _ think _ of looking at Blackhat wrong- he wouldn’t be here if he was. No, he looked behind him, at that little meek _ pet _ of a scientist he employed. 

Every invention that came out of BHC labs came from Doctor Flug- which might not even be his real name. Details were sketchy, and at most, when the mad scientists gathered they debated the possibility of ‘Flug’ being an alias. Something about the German word for airplane. Ivan didn’t care. 

Although, he  _ did  _ care about when Flug was vulnerable… 

His first plan had involved catching him when Flug was looking into new test subjects for his latest batch of experiments. Oddly enough, He had missed his monthly habit of picking up a new lab rat. The guy churned through subjects like they were going out of style, he swore-

A few days later, Ivan found out  _ why _ .  _ Apparently _ , heroes had attacked Blackhat directly, or something. They’d already sold one of them, the Viper, to Dr. Killoran. He didn’t doubt Flug had kept another for himself. So scratch that plan. 

Of course, he has another plan. And all he has to do it wait for Viper to, predictably, rush back to BHC headquarters to rescue his allies. 

 

The second time Evans woke, it was to too soft sheets and the morning glow of a rising sun. 

The only thing that kept him from jumping out of bed was the way his body sluggishly responded, his head swirling while something in his stomach just seemed to drop to the floor. 

“They drugged you- a way to keep you under control, I think.”

Evans raised his gaze to Killoran slowly, giving him a half-hearted glare. He didn’t feel like their usual banter right now.

“I hate you.” Evans muttered, reaching for a glass of water besides the bedside table, drowning it like he was never going to see H2O again. 

“Don’t I know it.” Killoran said. Evans could hear him move towards the window, moments before the light in the room dimmed on them. He glanced over to see that the glass itself had turned a transparent black. Huh. Probably one way now. 

“I need to go back.” Evans said, swinging his legs out of bed- well he was still wearing his underclothing, but he needed the rest of his combat gear. He hoped those bastards hadn’t taken it. 

Killoran glanced back, concerned. 

“You need a plan. Back up. You can’t just rush in there on your own, not a second time.” Killoran lectured him, returning and putting a hand on Evans shoulder to keep him from moving. “I’ve already contacted HQ. A jet is coming to pick you up.”

Evans glared at him. He hadn’t been prepared the first time, but know he knew what he was getting into. 

“What… happened to you back there? Where are the others?” Killoran asked, concern evident in his voice. Hah. Where was the egotistical supervillain the world had come to know?

Evans was half sure Killoran only got into the spy game because of his last name. Well. Actually, Killoran probably wasn’t his  _ real _ last name, now that he thought about it. 

“One of them’s  _ dead _ .” he spat, before giving more details. “I don’t know who, the scientist didn’t spill  _ which _ one he’d killed. I don’t think… whoevers alive, has time to wait.” he explained quickly. 

“Wait, the scientist? Flug?” Killoran looked shocked. Oh yeah. 

“He’s not there against his will… probably. He attacked us when we came into his lab- we weren't ready, and he had the home advantage and element of surprise. God, he was so nervous, we didn’t even think he’d be armed.” Evans shook his head, growling. “Knocked us out. When I awoke I was being sold to you.” he paused. 

“Do you know how long I was out?” He questioned. 

Killoran seemed to think back. “That would have been- erm, I got that call a good 8 hours after I’d finished distracting Blackhat during the sale. We all thought something had gone wrong, but we’d thought Blackhat had returned faster than thought…”

He shook his head. “I’m… surprised they waited so long before calling me.”

8 hours. 8 hours of that… that sick twisted  _ mad _ scientist doing whatever the fuck he wanted to them. 

“I’m going back.” He brushed off Killorans hand, standing up and making eye contact with him. “And you’re not stopping me.”

He didn’t attempt to hypnotize him, but the treat was clear. 

Killoran sighed, looking at his nose- he’d gotten good at telling when someone was making eye contact or not, before stepping back and gesturing to a chair at the end of the bed, where the rest of his gear had been stacked. 

“I’m still telling HQ. And… I doubt they’ll sell you too me again, if you get caught.”

Evans nodded to show he had heard, moving to the chair as he begun to gear up. Thankfully, the mask was here as well. 

“Noted. I need a lift.”

KIloran did live on an island, after all. 

Killoran nodded, grabbing his phone. 

“I’ll have one of the jets waiting at the runway- autopilot, no pil-”

Before Killonran had finished talking, Evans had left the room. 

 

“You’re heading to the hat house, aren't you?” 

Evans stopped dead in his tracks, looking at the … kid? That had stopped in front to him. He seemed vaguely familiar, though Evans couldn’t quite place him. 

“The- you mean the mansion on the hill?” Well, it was… a little hat shaped. “So what if I am.”

The kid smiled, cocking his head to the side. 

“Doctor Ivan Dark, a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” he offered a hand to the hero. “I’d like to help you get your revenge.”

Evans stared at the kid. Had… did he just out himself as a dangerous villain to a hero? That was either the dumbest… or smartest move he could make. He did need an ally, after all. 

Instead he narrowed his eyes, looking the kid up and down. 

“What do you want?” he asked.

The kid- and he wasn’t calling him  _ Dark _ , looked hurt. 

“Oh, you assumed so much of me.” the kid shrugged. “I simply wish to  _ murder _ Dr. Flug. Is that too much to ask?” he asked, voice nearly a purr. 

“Funny.” Evans started back on the path towards the hat hou- mansion. “Me too.”

“Good.” the kid fell in step with Evans while he spoke. “Lucky for you, I convinced my boss that buying a new heat ray, freeze ray combo would be  _ just a little _ better than having me make both rays myself.”

“In other words, you distracted Blackhat.” Huh. Good. Evans spotted the house in the distance. 

“Hold up one second.” the kid ordered. He pulled a remote out of his pocket, clicking it moments before a drone lifted itself from a nearby roof and darted towards the house. 

Moments later, it was destroyed by at least five different giants weapons. 

Well. Home security had gotten an upgrade.

“Hah. Pathetic.” the kid chuckled, now holding his phone. A few moments later, the weapons around the house suddenly drooped. 

“Alright, go.”

The kid didn’t need to say anything before Evan was running across the road, darting up the gate in the same manner he’d done so the first time. This time, he didn’t feel the same rush of pride. 

The kid opened the gate and walked in. 

Evans darted up the steps, bursting in  the door and darting down the hall, attempting to remember the same path he’d taken last time. 

When he burst in the lab, gun at the ready, Flug was nowhere to be seen. However, he did spot Leonard, tied to what looked to be a metal dentist's chair. 

He rushed forward, hand reaching for one of the arm restraints before Leonard jerked, trying to say something around his gag. 

He paused for only a second, grabbing the gag in his mouth and yanking it out. 

“Duck!”

Evans didn’t wait any time in dropping to the floor, which he was glad he did when the energy shot passed over his head, hitting a table leg and causing it to rot instantly. 

“Oh, d-darn.” 

Evans snapped his gaze up, to where- Flug was flouting, several other objects around him doing the same. He didn’t have a superpower, did he?

He fired back instead of asking any questions. 

Flug yelped and barely dodged the energy blast, kicking off from several object around him. Before Evans could line up another shot, a burning pain in his side caused him to drop his gun, collapsing to one knee. 

“I told you,” the kid entered, holding a smoking gun. “ _ I _ wanted to murder Flug.” 

He growled, reached for the gun again before a sudden blast hit his arm, causing him to yell out in pain as it withered, the armor around it falling to pieces. 

The kid raised his own gun straight up to where Flug was flouting. Flug pressed a button on a round metal ball, dropping like a stone along with everything around him, falling right onto the kid. Evans heard something  _ snap _ , twitching reflectively. 

He made a grab for the gun with his free hands, only for it to rot under his touch with another blast from the gun. He looked up to see it aimed directly at him. 

“D-Don’t move.” Flug ordered. He would have been threatening had he not stuttered so badly.

“We have backup.” he bluffed. 

Flug actually gave a shaky little laugh. “If you did.” he shrugged. “Home security would have killed them by now.”

He shook his head. “The kid hacked it.”

“Actually, I turned it off.” Flug shrugged. “How do you think I was prepared, if I wasn’t aware you were here?”

Damn. He was hoping they’d set off a silent alarm. 

Still, it was like he said. Goggles didn’t block out his abilities.

He rose, aiming a glare at Flug as he did. A shudder passed through the others frame before his pose slacked, the gun nearly falling from his hand. There were no collars or area inhibitor things to keep his power suppressed here.

Flug didn’t move at first despite the mental command, which wasn’t… unheard of. 

A few people Evans had meant had the mental strength that they at least needed a  _ physical _ command. And he really should stop underestimating Dr. Flug. 

“Free my friend.” he ordered. He’d do it himself but… only one working hand here. 

Flug jerked forwards, pausing, and correcting himself going forward. Evans wasn’t really in the mood to think about it too closely. 

Still when he felt something cold on his neck, he wondered if maybe he should. 

And then he was out.  _ Again _ .

 

Playing dead worked sometimes. 

When you got your leg broken by a falling scientist, it helped to pretend you were knocked out until you could get to your gun again. 

And  _ FUCK _ . 

He’d been fucking  _ played _ . Oh, he was going to enjoy watching Flug  _ suffer _ . He managed to reach his gun, shooting the other weapon out of Flugs hand. Well. He’d been aiming for his  _ hand _ , but that worked to. 

“Your tricks won’t work on me.” Ivan growled, standing- well, leaning heavily on his one good leg and the doorframe.

“U-Um,” Flug rubbed his hand, even though the blast hadn’t even touched him. “What if I say, um, gravity off?”

Before Ivan could figure out what that meant the antigravity device at his feet suddenly activated, sending him up into the air. An attempt at catching the doorframe left him spinning. 

“Had to, had to make it ‘hands-off’ after an incident.” Flug explained. Being prepared, he’d gotten a good grip on the chair Leonard was tied to, launching himself at the other man. They collided in midair, gun spinning away from them, the two hitting the wall with Ivan taking most of the blow. 

“What was that about my tricks?” He asked.

Ivan brought his elbow back, hitting Flug’s- face? Bag? And sending him flying off into the room. He wiped a small trail of blood off his mouth with the back of his hand, he was pretty sure he’d chipped a tooth, before launching himself after Flug. 

“I said.” He hit Flug feet first, sending him flying while he kicked back. “They aren't going to work.  _ Listen _ , why don’t you?”

Flug went spiraling towards the floor, hitting it was a dull thud and hovering a few inches up.

“No,  _ you _ listen. G-Gravity on!”

Suddenly everything hit the floor, Ivan landing on his injured leg and yelling out in pain, collapsing. It seemed moments later that he felt one of their guns- god, who knew which it was, maybe it was a freeze ray, pressed to his skull. He laughed. 

“What, gonna sell me back to my boss? Resell Viper to Killoran? Oh, won’t that be embarrassing, having to buy your hero twice.” Ivan mocked. 

“Blackhat can’t sell you if, sell you two off if he dosen't know you’re here.” Flug explained. 

Ivan paused. 

“What?” he asked, slowly. 

Flug laughed, and for once Ivan considered Flug to be… off.


	3. Planning ahead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I've had fun messing around with the Flugs twist evil mind for this story- but my god, it took so long before I sat down and just wrote this.

Flug was still embarrassed for laughing. 

He couldn’t really help it. The nerves, the adrenaline, the excitement that he’d  _ won _ ,  _ again _ , it had all bubbled out of him before he had properly thought about the action. 

Maybe he shouldn't feel  _ too _ bad, it was his victory after all. But tell that to his nerves. Instead Flug sighed, shaking his head and trying to focus again on his plans. 

Ivan offered a unique opportunity for his experiments. He’d never had anyone quite so… brilliant, he supposed, to experiment on. A dozen experiments sprung to mind, nearly every one having the potential to break Ivan's mind if he choose it. He’d have to think over the potential benefits of each before he made a commitment. 

And truth be told, he was  _ really _ grateful Viper had broken back in. He’d been quite upset when Blackhat had insisted on selling him to his enemy- though he was starting to doubt thats all there was to the relationship, if Viper could escape so easily. That, and Killoran had been downright concerned during the call. 

He just  _ had _ to dissect those eyes. He was itching to know where that power of his was originating from- and if he could potentially replicate it. He’d also need to probe into that brain of his- see what made him activate it. 

Now, as for the agent…

He’d already perfected his healing serum as far as it would go- well, truth be told, as far as he was willing to take it. He… didn’t like spending too much time on one invention. He was always getting ready for the next breakthrough, after all. But he  _ never _ rushed an invention out the door before it was ready. 

As a proud inventor- well,  _ the _ proud inventor of the vast majority of products sold by the Black Hat Corporation, Flug had a moral obligation to ensure that all their products were up to quality. 

But what now?

While he  _ did _ want to perform his experiments on Ivan and Viper, but he’d rather wait until Viper woke up, and he needed time to think on Ivan. And in the meantime, he  _ needed _ to experiment on  _ something _ to settle his thoughts and hands. 

He adjusted his goggles as he thought, pacing back and forth across his lab. His mind jumped to the inhibitor collars- but no, the agent didn’t even have any powers. Besides, all he needed was a spiffy new casing, some overly elaborated controls, and a 2.0 metal tag. Maybe he could add in the ability to shock it’s wearer, paralyze them, cause them immense pain- 

It hit Flug so hard he actually stopped moving, hand dropping from his goggles to where his mouth would be. Interesting. 

He turned on a heel, returning to where the agent was still tied up. He’d already moved Viper and Ivan from his lab. The agent jerked when Flug approached, before moving his head as much as he was able and sending the scientist a glare. 

“Relax, I’m a doctor.” he informed the agent. 

Now, what would he need to set this up? Maybe a blood sample… he’d have to know what he’s working with, after all. Although, that could cause problems down the road if he tailored it  _ too _ perfectly to the agents DNA. 

Or maybe, it could be a benefit. He considered it while searching for his vacutainers… he’d needed to draw blood not too long ago in, fact. If he  _ did _ talor it per person, than that could provide a way to control it, and prevent quite so many bootlegs on the market. 

But before he could start debating whether or not he locked it to one's DNA, he needed to figure out how to  _ give _ someone superpowers in the first place. Most origin stories were a complete mystery unless you were  _ personally _ involved, and the few that  _ were _ public usually involved something unlivable happening to them. 

There were theories, of course, that all superpowers were inherent, and that these life shattering moments merely unlocked them. 

Thankfully, he found what he needed. He wasted little time in preparing the agent's arm before drawing his blood, getting excited as he drew it out. What sort of powers would he grant him?

Maybe he could bathe him in radiation- though that was a good way to just give him cancer. Dunking him in unknown chemicals? Well, if he made them, he’d know  _ exactly _ what they’d do. Scientific experimentation? Okay, now he wasn’t even trying, that was the  _ whole _ point of this. 

Did he mention he didn’t expect the agent to live?

 

What, did you expect him to let you  _ see _ how he was making his newest invention. 

Fourth wall break aside, Flug held the beaker up to the light, swirling the bright orange liquid around just to watch it give off a few sparks. Thus far, this was the only chemical combination he could get to react with the agents blood in a positive way. Well. Depends on your definition of ‘positive’ effect. 

Now, for the fun part. 

Flug spun on a heel, returning to where the agent was waiting, mouth forcibly open thanks to a special pair of pliers.

He’d had take a lot more blood than he’d originally planned, but hey, the man was still conscious, so that had to be a good thing, right?

He held the beaker up to the man's mouth, pausing to savor the moment before tipping it in, attempting to get as much of it down the other's throat as he could. 

The agent gagged, but didn’t seem… too repulsed at the taste. Interesting. Flug couldn’t help but wonder… 

He yanked the pliers out. 

“What does it taste like?” he asked. 

“FUCK OFF!” the agent snapped back. Rude. 

Flug stumbled away, sighing and rubbing the side of his bag. Nothing. Well, looks like it was back to the draw pile with this one. Maybe he needed to tweak the levels of-

Was it getting hot in here?

Flug glanced back at the agent, noting he was growing uncomfortable as well. Wait- no, that heat was generating  _ from _ him. 

Flug was just about to get closer when the other man spontaneously combusted. 

The agents screamed followed shortly after, giving away that, yes, this was  _ hurting _ him. Not the reaction Flug was looking for. Flug scrambled away, hands moving up to shield his face as the man behind him continued to burn. Flug was pretty sure he heard the chair creaking under the heat. 

And then, without further simulation, the heat dispersed once the man’s screams had died down. Flug peaked out from behind his fingers to see the charred remains of what must have once been the agent, the metal of the chair still, quite literally, red hot. Everything else seemed to have burned off. 

Well. 

He figured the agent wouldn’t have survived anyway.

“Flug!” Blackhat yelled, accompanied by the slam of his lab door. 

He flinched. Okay, time to make a good excuse. 

“A-Ah! Oh, Blackhat, sir. I was just- just testing out my latest weapon.” he explained, scrambling off the floor in an attempt to save face. 

Blackhat swept into the room, eye narrowing as he observed the agent, reaching a clawed hand out to grab at him, only for the body to crumble under the touch. 

“Interesting.” which was basically Blackhat speak for ‘I like it’. “What did you use?” Blackhat asked, turning his attention back to FLug, who managed not to flitch and instead stood a little taller, finding some spare serum on one of the tables he had set up in his lab. 

“It’s an ingestible weapon- with a pleasant enough taste it shouldn’t be noticed until it’s too late to spit back out.” He explained proudly. “Heroes immune to poison often aren't  _ also _ fire proof.”

Blackhat swiped the triangular beaker from his hands, holding it by his fingertips as he watched the liquid pop and sizzle.

“We were lacking in poisons.” Blackhat decided. “To add that personal touch. I expect you to have a vat of it by tomorrow.”

That was practically Blackhat speak for ‘good job’. Flug felt a little spark of pride, trying not to show it too much least Blackhat try and squish it. 

“Of course sir.”

There was just one thing he needed… hopefully, Viper was awake by now. 

He waited until Blackhat had left the room, noticeably keeping that last beaker of the serum. Flug mentally wished Demecia luck, before spinning around and heading deeper into the lab. 

To be fair, Blackhat knew about this room. He just didn’t know that anyone was currently being held back here  _ right now _ . 

A metal door, reinforced against any sort of physical or  _ magical _ attack, should anyone inside manage to escape their bindings. The little light on the side was still green, though Flug had only seen it turn red  _ once _ . 

Inside was what one could easily mistake for a morgue, if not for the cages set into the wall in the side of the room, opposite the cold lockers. He passed one that was currently in use, though not with who he was looking for. 

“Dark.” Flug acknowledged, even though the room was quite brightly lit. Flug liked to  _ see _ what he was doing.

Ivan scowled at him, though didn’t actually respond. It was a shame, the death threats he’d been fuming over had been  _ amazing _ . Flug had written some of them down to use later. Ah well. 

For now, he ignored the other scientist, instead heading towards cage number 7, where Viper had finally woken. Flug pressed a button on the side to send an electric current through the cage, paralyzing Viper before entering and dragging him out. 

Flug dragged him to an examination table, struggling as he dragged him onto it. Normally, he’d have 505 help him with this, but he really wanted to do this himself. After strapping Viper in, he paused to catch his breath, than adjusted the table so it was a few degrees up. 

The tables were designed to allow blood to flow towards the feet, where a collector waited to dump the blood into a currently empty tank. He’d need the blood to make more of his serum. 

Viper was starting to regain control of his limbs, so Flug grabbed a drug that would keep him motionless and shot it into his neck. 

“Hold still.” he muttered, picking up a scalpel as he cut into the major blood veins on his wrists and thighs. He watched it flow freely down the table for a moment before looking over the room for the machine for the equipment he needed, finding it jammed in the back besides his coffee machine. What. He could stay up on poor distilled Evil alone. 

He pulled it out, wheeling it over to Viper before setting up the machine, attaching it to the other mans head via a special clamp, using part of it to hold his eye open while he aligned the needle. 

“Don’t move.” Flug warned him, hitting the activation button. 

The needle slammed down, piercing the eye while the machine went to work, cutting into the flesh. Flug ignored the screams, waiting impatiently as the machine slowly pulled up, presenting the eye perfectly removed. Flug wasted no time in taking it off the needle, hurrying to store it for a dissection later. 

He shoved the machine aside as he returned, gathering the tools he’d need to remove the other's brain. He was so giddy with excitement, barely able to stay focused as he cut through skin and bone, getting to his ‘prize’. He’d already done all the scans he could before shoving Viper into that freezer. 

He suddenly realized he was holding Vipers brain in his hands. Oops. That tended to happen when he got to excited about something. He quickly put the brain on ice as well, before returning to the body and making sure the last of the blood was draining properly. 

He’d need someone to test this on. Not Ivan, he wasn’t wasting him for something as simply as being burned alive. 

He glanced back at Ivans cage.

“I’m going to need another test subject.” he said mostly to himself, leaving the room to see what his usual sources had for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You'll just have to imagine what horrors he puts lit ol' Ivan through ;3


End file.
